Latest news with #LGBTQIA-plus
ABC News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Tasmanian equality campaigner Rodney Croome 'overjoyed' at Burnie Council's LGBTIQA+ advisory group
As Burnie City Council voted to establish an LGBTIQA+ advisory group on Tuesday night, members of the community applauded from the gallery — among them long-time equality campaigner Rodney Croome. Councillors voted 8 to 1 to develop the advisory group and develop an action plan to address discrimination. Mr Croome — a prominent advocate for LGBTIQA+ people in Tasmania for over 30 years and a key voice during Tasmania's decriminalisation debates in the 1990s — said he was "overjoyed" by the result. Photo shows The rainbow pride flag flying above town hall and people gather below it. Ulverstone, a town once the flashpoint for the debate on decriminalising homosexuality in Tasmania, raises the rainbow pride flag over its council chambers. "As someone who's been involved in that 30-year journey for Tasmania, this is one of the most important milestones for me," Mr Croome said. "It might seem like something small to others, that the council is simply convening a group and developing a document. "But the council's support for greater inclusion sends a really strong message that the North West Coast and Tasmania in general have really turned a corner." During the 1990s when there were anti-gay rallies in Burnie and in other parts of the state, Mr Croome said he hoped Tasmania could become a more inclusive and equal society, but it was hard to imagine at the time. "I certainly wouldn't have imagined the Burnie City Council taking such proactive steps to foster inclusion for LGBTQIA-plus people," he said. Rodney Croome pictured during his arrest in 1988 at Hobart's Salamanca Market for defying a ban on a stall featuring petitions to decriminalise homosexual activity. ( Supplied: Roger Lovell ) Deputy Mayor Giovanna Simpson tabled the motion and said she was overwhelmed by the "support and passion" of the people in the gallery. "I'm just really happy that it's passed, and we can actually move forward with this and get something in place so that everyone feels safe and secure," Cr Simpson said. 'We were behind' The new advisory group and action will follow the lead of other councils across Tasmania, who have taken similar steps to consult local LGBTIQA+ communities and develop action plans to fight discrimination, and improve inclusivity. The adoption of action plans by other councils include the training of council staff in LGBTQIA+ related issues, and in developing more inclusive services for the community. Deputy Mayor Giovanna Simpson tabled the motion. ( ABC News: Lachlan Bennett ) Cr Simpson said the existence of these action plans in other municipalities prompted her to ask why Burnie wasn't doing the same. "We were behind, definitely … I don't want it to be that way anymore," she said. While other councils in the state have implemented action plans, Burnie City Council is the first in the state's North West coast to do so, a fact that Mr Croome applauds. "I've got no doubt that Burnie's leadership on this issue will encourage other municipalities particularly in the North West of Tasmania to do the same," he said. While the motion had broad support from councillors, a single vote against the motion came from Cr Trent Aitken, who proposed an alternative motion deferring judgement on the group's establishment to the general public, via an elector's poll. "I believe we need to be fair and just to all groups in the community. But the motion before us, asks us to take another step, and to put one group of people above another. I can not support that, as we should all be equal," Cr Aitken said. Croome warns against complacency If you or anyone you know needs help: Mr Croome says he hopes overwhelming support for the motion will move Cr Aitken to reconsider his views. "I hope it sends a message to counsellor Aitken that he really needs to sit back and think about his views and his expression of those, that he'll take the opportunity to go out and talk to LGBTQIA+ people living in Burnie and find out what their lives are really like," he said. The council will now consult with members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their families, as well as service providers to develop the new action plan. Despite the progress that Tasmania has made on LGBTQIA+ issues, Mr Croome said advocates for equality shouldn't become complacent in fighting discrimination and stigma. "To have councils like the Burnie City Council sending such a strong message of inclusion helps us to address that continuing prejudice and discrimination," Mr Croome said.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Transgender reference removed from Stonewall National Monument website
NEW YORK (PIX11) — The National Park Service removed the reference to the transgender community on the Stonewall National Monument's website. The change came after President Donald Trump's executive order to recognize only two genders. More Local News 'I was personally offended, deeply offended, that the National Park Service would go so far as to align themselves with Donald Trump's anti-trans rhetoric,' said Angelica Christina, board member of The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative. 'The Stonewall Inn is a beacon of hope for the LGBTQIA-plus community, going back to the Stonewall riots.' The Stonewall Riots were sparked by a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village. The rough treatment from police led to six days of protests and clashes with law enforcement. The events were pivotal in the gay rights movement in the United States. Both gay and transgender patrons fought back against police during the riots. On Sunday, the website still had references to transgender and queer references. 'Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) person was illegal, but the events at the Stonewall Inn sparked fresh momentum for the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement,' read a snapshot from the WayBack Machine taken on Sunday. By Thursday, the letters 'T' and 'Q' were cut from various references to the acronym LGBTQ and replaced with phrases like the 'LGB rights movement' or 'LGB civil rights,' according to the website. 'Right now, we need to let our voices be heard,' said Stacy Lentz, an LGBTQ+ advocate and co-owner of the Stonewall Inn. 'We need to call on all Democrats to stand up and protect the trans community. The one thing we can't do right now is just roll over and let trans people be erased from public life, and so as a community, I know that we're all going to come together and fight like crazy.' Former President Barack Obama formally recognized the Stonewall site as a national monument on June 24, 2016, making it the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights, The Hill reported. The National Parks Service did not immediately respond to PIX11's request for comment. This story comprises reporting from The Associated Press. Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
